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1 Kings 9:15

in 1 Kings 9

This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

KJV

And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

This verse in 1 Kings 9

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
Levy - See the marginal reference note. Millo - See 2Sa 5:9 note. The Septuagint commonly render the word ἡ ἄκρα hē akra, “the citadel,” and it may possibly have been the fortress on Mount Zion connected with the Maccabean struggles (1 Macc. 4:41; 13:49-52). Its exact site has not been determined. And the wall of Jerusalem - David’s fortification 2Sa 5:9; 1Ch 11:8 had been hasty, and had now - fifty years later - fallen into decay. Solomon therefore had to “repair the breaches of the city of David” 1Ki 11:

This site's exposition

the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor

on 1 Kings 9:15-19

The account of the forced labor names its projects: the temple, the palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and “Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer”. Gezer needed rebuilding because Pharaoh had set it on fire and “given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife”.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

1 ), directing him to acknowledge God in all his ways, and, by prayer and faith in his providence, to take him along with him in all his designs of this kind.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens

And this is the reason of the levy which King Solomon raised,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

So far was he from envying Solomon's growing greatness and reputation, and being jealous of him, that he helped to magnify him. Solomon's power, with Solomon's wisdom, needs not be dreaded by any of his neighbours.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

this is the reason of the levy--A levy refers both to men and money, and the necessity for Solomon making it arose from the many gigantic works he undertook to erect.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

This is the reason of the levy - That is, in order to pay Hiram the sixscore talents of gold which he had borrowed from him (Hiram not being willing to take the Galilean cities mentioned above; or, having taken them, soon restored them again) he was obliged to lay a tax upon the people; and that this was a grievous and oppressive tax we learn from 1Ki 12:1-4, where the elders of Israel came to Rehoboam, complaining of their heavy state of taxation, and entreating that their yoke might be made lighter. And Millo - This is supposed to have been a deep valley between Mount Sion and what was called the city of Jebus, which Solomon filled up, and it was built on, and became a sort of fortified place, and a place for public assemblies. - See Calmet.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

And this is the review of the tax. Described at the end of this topic, “All the people that remained, etc., 12 Below v. Shlomo levied a tax of labor.” 13 Below v. The tax levy was to build all these [structures].
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Kings 9:15:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

24 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְזֶ֨הand this

    vezehH2088 →1180 times

  • דְבַר־[is] [the] word of

    devar-H1697 →1440 times

  • הַמַּ֜סthe forced labor

    hamasH4522 →23 times

  • אֲשֶֽׁר־which

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • הֶעֱלָ֣ה׀he raised

    heelahH5927 →890 times

  • הַמֶּ֣לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • שְׁלֹמֹ֗הSolomon

    shelomohH8010 →291 times

  • לִבְנוֹת֩to build

    livnotH1129 →376 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • בֵּ֨ית[the] house of

    beitH1004 →2046 times

  • יְהוָ֤הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • בֵּיתוֹ֙own house his

    beitoH1004 →2046 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • הַמִּלּ֔וֹאthe Millo

    hamilo'H4407 →6 times

  • וְאֵ֖תand <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • חוֹמַ֣ת[the] wall of

    chomatH2346 →133 times

  • יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םJerusalem

    yerushalimH3389 →643 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • חָצֹ֥רHazor

    chatzorH2674 →

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • מְגִדּ֖וֹMegiddo

    megidoH4023 →

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • גָּֽזֶר׃Gezer

    gazerH1507 →15 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Kings 9:24

    As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 11:27

      and this is the account of his rebellion against the king. Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 2 Chronicles 32:5

      Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 1 Kings 7:8

      And the palace where Solomon would live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

    • 2 Samuel 5:9

      So David took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the way around, from the supporting terraces inward.

  • Through

    2 Samuel 5:9

    So David took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the way around, from the supporting terraces inward.

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 9:24

      As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.

  • Through

    Joshua 17:11

    Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.

    it leads to

    • 1 Chronicles 7:29

      And along the borders of Manasseh were Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.

    • Joshua 12:23

      the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one;

  • Through

    1 Kings 5:13

    Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 4:6

      Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About 1 Kings

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.